Welcome to Gaia! ::

I've discovered Mirelle and Kirika are apparently learning more than I thought they were from Shiran. *headshake* He decided since the twins won't necessarily be mages, he should start teaching them now how to use some of the ordinary spells and charms I have 'round the house. I tried telling him they're still only little pendants, but he insisted, and he's been so bored with me laid up and only his siblings to play with that I didn't have the heart to say no. Cayanne found an old beginners' spellbook my cousin had left up in the attic - I think she's still trying to prove to the twins that not all fire is bad. The two of them took turns reading and performing the spells, mostly telekinetic and elemental stuff. It was kind of cute to see them shoulder to shoulder, peeking at the pages, each one with a bullet in their hand. Cayanne even showed each twin the pictures that went along in the book.

Sound sweet, right? Well, that was before I took the kids out for ice cream to celebrate my semi-mobility. Some rude jerk slammed in front of me - nearly knocked me off my crutches - then had the nerve to turn around and badmouth me when I asked him what the heck he was doing. Even worse, he shoved Raven out of his way and made both Aura and Cayanne drop their cones. Real nice guy, huh? I was thinking about using my lovely new wand to shove something up his nose, but before I could even move, the catch on the crystal ball around my neck came undone on its own. Then zoom, out comes Mirelle the bullet. Looked like a tiny red comet. Slammed herself right between the guy's eyes, hard enough to leave a nice little burn mark. Of course, then she fell on the ground, and Shazran and Dray nearly threw the guy through a window to make sure he didn't step on her. I still think it was Kiri that put a silence spell on him when he started yelling, though that might have been Raven. But Kirika's bullet turned red-blue - *shrug*

All in all, it was a beautiful trip. I don't think I've laughed so hard in ages. Still, it makes me worry about the two of them when they get older. I tried to explain it to them - my other cousin thought I was nuts for talking to bullets, but that's another story. Kirika seems to understand, but Mirelle just keeps glowing her "I don't care" colors. *sigh* Guess I'll have to try again when they're babies, if they keep it up. Might be easier to talk to them when I can see a face.

Well, seeing as how one of the little buggers running around the house during hols ate my last journal page stare I suppose I'll add it to here. This place has been an absolute madhouse for most of the month, ever since my cousin's bunch, Allie's group and Thrall's people arrived for the holidays. The kids were bad enough - they knew their "Aunts" and "Uncles" were coming, and they've been learning everything they can about Fai'tae (the Illuzen holiday), Kamoran (Allie's universe's festival) and C'mrita (Thrall's day). Between the kids Thrall's taken under her wing, the brood of magical rugrats my cousin's scooped up, and Allie's little adoptees, it was sheer insanity. We still haven't found the egg-beater or the TV remote, and we have no idea where they got that parrot. Or the doll that spoke in rhymes. Or why we found a snail the size of a small dog up the tree . . .

Mirelle and Kiri were over the moon about the whole thing. Kirika especially loves Ri'Jelan (my cousin), and she adores Allie's friend Takra too. Plus, most of Ri's people like to make fusses over babies, so they had a great time keeping an eye on her, Mirelle and Chloe during the holiday preps. Of course, Mirelle and Chloe weren't necessarily as happy with the noise - they had a tendency to wander off in a search for the closest training session. With Spectra, Brooke, Lake and the rest of the gung-ho types having a blast teaching the kids new fighting moves, they ended up spending a lot of time out there. Thank goodness they never got in the way, it would have been a nightmare. There may have been nine or ten healers in the house, but I draw the line at having wounds on kids too young to walk.

Those two are growing faster and faster every day, and they just eat up any kind of learning they can find. With all these new people suddenly here, it was like a buffet for them. Mirelle's already learning words in Glyphic, Heiraldic, Nihonsune, all three Elvens, Common Illuzen, Full Kymarin, Uzumal, Daemonic, Tak'ci, Draconic - I'm still not sure where she got those last few, especially since they weren't curses. Her pronounciation is still a little weak, especially when it comes to the Nihonsune, but it's absolutely incredible. Of course, everybody thought it was great, they took turns teaching her new words during the holidays. I think her favorite was "kot'mori," or "figher" in Kymarin. Kirika's almost the same, although she doesn't seem to like talking as much as her sister does. It was rather cute to watch Chloe trying to 'teach' her, though.

In other news, they seem to have taken quite a shine to the newest member of the family, Edward Spike Jet Bebop Traverse, aka Tex. He loves shoot 'em up shows and fighting shows, but he always takes time to hang out with the 'littles,' as he calls them. He'll come into the room wherever they are and yell, "Where's the littles?" Mirelle, Kiri and Chloe will all get these huge grins on their faces and start babbling "Here Tex, here!" One of Allie's friends took a picture of the whole thing, but the little Leafmonster somebody smuggled in thought the film was food and ate it. rolleyes Then it got sick all over the new rug. *shakes head*

They also made friends with quite a few people in the ACC. Sesshomaru was one of them - Mirelle liked him quite a bit, and calls him "Sess-dono," probably because she thinks "Sessy-dono" (Chloe's name for him) is a bit undignified. She liked Hiten okay once she realized he didn't actually hurt Chloe, and calls him "Hi-dono." Kirika, on the other hand, made great friends with Manten and Conan. She calls them "Mi-co" ("My Conan") and "Ma-ten." But the biggest surprise was probably their new friendship with Maru and Moro, the second pair of twins. They didn't seem to be off to a great start - Moro tugged on Sesshomaru's hair, and it seemed to irritate Mirelle. But the next few times they met, they developed a great friendship. Kiri and Mirelle call them "twn fends," or "twin friends," and "Ma-ru" and "Mo-ru." And Aunt Korini gave them a pair of enchanted guns. Keeping those out of their reach was quite the time. If it wasn't the two of them chucking things at the shelf I put them on, it was Chloe using Tenjutsu magic to try and bring them down for her sisters. *shakes head* I put every spell I could think of on those things, and it still took most of the holidays to keep them out of the way.

Speaking of which, I think I hear them crying now. Not sure why, but Kiri's been crying quite a lot since everyone went home. And when she starts whining, Mirelle and Chloe start crying, too. Better run!

Into the Darkest Hell . . . they lure the lost children.

Not sure if it's exactly the right quote, although it's from the Noir anime itself. Basically a reference to the fact that Noir candidates are chosen and trained as assassins from birth, and that they lose their parents either by kidnapping or Soldats assassination. Seemed right for this, anyway.

The story below came from watching the series on DVD again and seeing Chloe's death. I always wondered what would have happened if they'd all three been raised together, even if it would've been by a creepy nut like Altena. And I also wanted to know what happened to the other candidates for Noir - aside from Mirelle, Kirika and Chloe - that were hinted at in later episodes. If anyone really wants to know, Roseline's name comes partly from the Alpine Rose, the flower Chloe admired so much in Episode 12. I thought it showed a lot of "what she might have been." It is also the middle name of Chloe's twin in a sequel dojinshi, or fan-manga, that I'm currently writing. (no, the rest of the dojinshi won't come into play here unless it's alright with a lot of people later on) In this case, since Mirelle and Kirika regretted Chloe's death so much, I wondered what they would do if they had a chance to make things right from the start. Hence, this fic. Sorry it's not in first person.
And yes, I'm this nuts when it comes to this series. xd

"This is taking forever."

Rune Traverse threw herself on the couch, her dark blue braid flying wildly as she made an exasperated noise. Deep green eyes, always the dominant feature of her pale, delicate face, looked even darker than usual as she glared broodingly at the figure seated like a statue in the middle of her living room. There was no response, not even a twitch in the magical currents that eddied through the air, and she thumped her fist against the cushions in frustration. She hated waiting.

Not that there was anything else she could do. It had been over an hour and a half since her cousin Jaymee and their friend Scryer had shown up here at Rune's Gaian house. The idea had been that Scryer - with the cousins to help anchor her - would be able to dig up information on the past lives of Kirika and Mirelle, Rune's recently-adopted twins. They?d been planning the whole thing since the holidays, when Scryer had first predicted their intense fear of fire. When Rune had asked her friend about learning more, Scryer had agreed to help with a past-life casting. Normally, a working like this would require three or four dozen mages, all trained in years of Spirit incantations and ancient spells. Of course, the word 'normal' didn't much apply to the three teenagers currently in the room. Rune shoved herself up from the couch and began to pace out of sheer habit, a crooked smile twitching on her lips. Scryer, tranced so calmly in the center of the room, was considered roughly the most powerful mage in their universe, a possible immortal who could stand against three demi-gods without flinching. Even better, she knew all sorts of mythic lore and castings by heart. She may have been a bit unbalanced, but in her own way, she did want to help. Jaymee, Rune's cousin, was more commonly known as Ri'Jelan Aarimeth-ki; the Incarnate of the Water Element and its magic, she led the legendary Coloured Eyes and was linked to all eleven Illuzen Elements, both psychically and magically. And Rune herself? In most respects, she was an ordinary Slider, with magics in the Water element. But she also had her own brand of power, a set of primeval and powerful abilities that had once nearly destroyed eight of the Incarnates. Between the three of them, it should have been a piece of cake. So why was it taking so long?

On the other side of the room, Jaymee Evans popped the top off a soda and glanced over her shoulder at her cousin, sighing. Like Rune, she had pale skin, elfin features and large green eyes, although her thick mane of golden-brown curls hadn't been colored with magick the way Rune's had. But although they looked alike, their experience with heavy magic was quite a bit different. Jaymee knew better than to interrupt a big spell, especially one as delicate as this, and that the only thing fidgeting might do is bug Scryer. Rune, on the other hand, hated the idea that she couldn't do something for herself, no matter how small it might be, and this definitely fell under that category. It was even worse now, since it involved her babies. As if on cue, the Gaian mage paused in her pacings, cracking her knuckles nervously. Jaymee shook her head; levitating another can of pop, she sent it floating over to her cousin, resting one hip casually against the counter as she did. ~She's working, Lorraine. Let her finish.~

~She's been at it for over an hour. And I told you, don't call me that here.~ Rune accepted the peace offering with a half-scowl and perched on the arm of the couch, one foot still tapping. ~She already said there wasn't much she could find for certain - a flash here, a memory there. So what's taking so long?~

Seated on the floor, the girl called Scryer finally opened her large violet eyes, looking at Rune calmly. "It takes quite a while to sift through everything, even if it doesn't all make sense." She told the cousins, her low, patient voice seeming louder than normal after the silence. Still cross-legged, she stretched slightly, twisting to work out the kinks in her back; her thick mane of curls tumbled nearly to the floor, a waterfall of solid, glossy black. "It gets even worse when what you're sensing is painful or frightening."

She climbed to her feet with more grace than most people would have after sitting motionless for that long, her pretty, petite frame hardly even strained. Jaymee handed her another can of soda without comment, frowning slightly. Rune's eyes darkened. "Painful and frightening? Was it - was it all like that?"

"Not all of it." Scryer accepted the drink with a nod of thanks, taking a careful sip before she set it down. "There was - quite a bit of that, but they were happy with each other, and they had a lot of what mattered to them. Does the name Noir mean anything to you?"

"The word is French for darkness. Well, literally, it's night, but I guess the same idea applies." Rune saw her cousin glance at her and half-smiled. "I took languages the same year you did, remember? But it can also mean black or shadow. I've never heard it as a name."

"I was actually wondering if I'd ever heard you use the word 'applies' in a sentence." Jaymee grinned and ducked as Rune chucked a pillow in her direction, looking exasperated. "That's about all I know, though. Never heard it as a name either, unless you're talking about film noir. Was it important, Scry?"

"It belonged to them, in some ways. But it wasn't entirely theirs, either." The raven-headed mage shut her eyes, rubbing her temple as if she had a headache, and Rune noticed worriedly that her hand was trembling slightly. Jaymee saw it, too. Frowning, the Incarnate tugged her friend down into a seat. Scryer smiled wryly. "I'm not a kid, you guys. The spell was just a little harder than normal . . . probably the distance involved. Time and space are bad to juggle, especially when there's a lot of both."

"That's what I would've thought." Jaymee agreed, mock-serious, and Rune snorted with laughter. Scryer shook his head, amused, then stilled and took a deep breath; the other two could see her gathering herself back together, sorting through the things she'd found so they would understand. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again, fixing Rune with an intense look. "You wanted to know what their past lives were like, and if they had anything to do with Chloe being born the way she was."

Rune nodded. Chloe was a Tenjutsu baby, 'born' from her scroll-essance the same day the twins had come from their bullet-pendants. But while most of the rare Tenjutsu made from scrolls had their essance scroll vanish, Chloe's had literally been absorbed into her small body, leaving a pair of darkened marks above her heart. Even stranger, she and the twins seemed to have a special connection between them. Kirika and Mirelle's third words had been "Clo-eee," right after "mummy" and the name of the opposite twin. Chloe's third and fourth words had been "Ki-wi" (Kirika) and "Mi-way" (Mirelle). They protected each other fiercely, slept in the same crib, and were all three fascinated by fighting. Rune folded her arms, impatience flashing again as she continued. "I don't know how they could be so connected . . . they aren't the same species, so I didn't think it was possible. But Chloe's name came to me the same way and almost the same time the twins' did, and they're so close it's like they belong together. And lately Chloe's been, I don't know, just so depressed. I don't know what to do about it."

"And everyone knows you hate that, ashri." Scryer flashed her friend a faint smile, though her face was still oddly sharp. "When Mirelle and Kirika were pendants, did you recognize any magic in them? Were they stronger as pendants then as babies?"

"I don't think so, no." Rune thought back and shook her head. "I remember thinking they didn't have any magic at all."

"You told me that." Jaymee agreed, nodding. "It was odd for a kid in our family, but I thought they could learn spells and incantations easy. And then you wanted to beat the crap out of Arnold, so I had to stop you."

Scryer raised an eyebrow, and Rune flushed. "Korini said I'd have cravings for things - like pregnancy, I guess, but weirder." The blue-haired teen shrugged. "Theirs was fighting anything and a huge protective streak. And tea."

"So it was different how?" Jaymee cracked. Rune made a face. "If I never drink anymore tea again, it'll be too soon."

"That sounds about right." Scryer agreed, but her eyes were strangely serious, more intense than her usual dreamy self. "So you carried them around with you all the time? In contact with your body?"

"In a charm ball, around her neck." Jaymee frowned slightly. "I showed it to you, Scry, remember? It's the same one I gave her for keeping crystal-shards in."

"It was made of crystal too, wasn't it? The kind of crystal they make Mage Orbs out of, designed for helping with magic." Scryer's voice was quiet. "And always close to you, even when you were handling the Konokai items, like Chloe."

Now it was Rune's turn to nod. "Yeah." Her eyebrows drew together in a frown of her own. "Are you saying they used magic on Chloe? But they would never do that, they love her more than anything. And you just said they didn't have any!"

Jaymee's eyes widened suddenly, filled with sudden understanding, and she gave a little gasp. "Not theirs. Yours. They used your magic." She stared at her other friend. "That's why you thought her binding was breaking, before the babies were born. They used her magic while they were in pendant form. Think about it, Runie. Your other powers are more than strong enough to change a Tenjutsu from its scroll form."

Rune gaped at her cousin, then turned to look at Scryer. "But how? And why?"

Scryer sighed. "How is easy. They were attuned to you, they still had energy leftover from becoming pendants, and the crystal of the ball was made to help with magic. Your powers probably even made it easier, since you were actively connected to them."

"So why?" Jaymee prodded gently.

"Because they had to make it right." The violet-eyed mage shook her head, and the others could see her trying to explain. "In their other life, they were . . . different, special. Not magical, not really, though they were talented enough that some people thought it was. And there was another girl, special like them, who died during one of the most important times in their lives." She smiled, almost sadly. "A gifted little girl, who spent her whole life being twisted and manipulated by the same organization that nearly destroyed the two of them. A wonderful, childlike girl, with dark red hair and gray eyes."

"Like Chloe." Rune breathed. "Exactly like Chloe."

"That was her name." Scryer?s eyes were dark and far away, seeing things the others couldn't. "The society that created them meant for Kirika and Chloe to be together, to be partners. Mirelle was the third of them, another candidate, but she was never part of the group the way the other two were. They grew up a little, and Kirika lost her memory. She escaped to Mirelle, became her own person with Mirelle's help; the two of them turned into partners, the best. Chloe never got that same chance. She was alone."

"So how did she die?" Jaymee?s question was soft. Glancing at her, Rune could see her cousin was wondering just what the three of them were raised for. Scryer lifted her head, looking at them with suspiciously glittering eyes.

"Kirika was brought back to the society's home, where Chloe stayed. Mirelle came after her, and the three of them fought. Chloe - she worshiped Kirika, loved her more than anything else in the world. When Kirika chose Mirelle, Chloe tried to kill her rival." The raven-haired mage looked irritated with herself, swiping at her face with the back of one wrist. "To save Mirelle's life, Kirika had to kill Chloe herself."

There was no sound for several seconds as both cousins stared at Scryer, open-mouthed. "Demis above and below." Jaymee finally whispered explosively. Rune hissed a breath between her teeth, unable to connect the horrible image in her mind with her beautiful, bright-eyed little girls. It was almost impossible to see either of them growing up to kill anyone, no matter how or who. And someone so obviously close to them, or at least important . . .

Scryer shook her head slightly. "When someone has a killing talent, and they're trained from childhood to use that talent, what would you expect them to become?" She asked reasonably. "When they're tested over and over again in fights to the death, when their own families have been killed and manipulated against them, what do you think they would be? In their world and their lives, they didn't have an option."

Her eyes flicked once to Jaymee, then Rune, and the Gaian mage understood. The first time her cousin had manifested her Incarnate powers, roughly seventy-five marauding bandits had met their death at the 'hand' of her magic, drowning in the open meadowland where they stood. Rune knew each one had left their mark on Jaymee, as had all the others she'd been forced to battle and kill since then to protect innocent lives. In Illuzen, her abilities made her a public figure, a warrior and diplomat all in one. Every day, she had to deal with intrigue, manipulation and bigoted idiots from dozens of places, just because she was specially gifted. Like the girls, she didn't have any choice about what she was.

~As I recall, neither did you.~ Jaymee's mental voice was gentle, mouth twisted into a wry smile. She had been there when Rune's own special powers first manifested; someone had been mocking her for the millionth time about her 'normal' magic, and when her friend Kai'a interfered, the jerk had thrown a solid punch that knocked Kai'a flat. The power Rune had unleashed had nearly leveled his entire township and taken out four cohorts before the Incarnates had stepped in. Even bound the way they were now, they were still incredibly strong. Rune nodded, smiling back. No, neither of them had much choice.

"Which is probably why you make such a wonderful mother for them." Scryer looked amused. "You'll understand how they do what they do, and you'll know sometimes they can't help it. And with a family like yours, they'll learn to care about other people, to make friends and have fun. And with Chloe, they have a chance to make everything right again."

She paused then, mostly because Jaymee was frowning. "But - it'll end up the same." The Incarnate protested, setting down the soda she'd just picked up. Rune stared at her, puzzled, and Jaymee held up a hand. "Think about it. Before, there were three of them, with Mirelle and Kirika as partners and Chloe getting put on the outside. Now it's the same, and it'll get just as bad, because Mirelle and Kiri are still together. It's the same fight all over again."

She was right, Rune realized. Mirelle and Kirika were twins now instead of partners, but they were still together, and their Chloe was still a third wheel. Even if the three of them were being raised together, it would probably be the same vicious cycle. Rune bit her lip, wondering what they could do. "Maybe I could adopt another baby . . . some of the Tenjutsu are about ready to be adopted, I bet I end up with one of them anyway."

"It does seem to be a bad habit of yours." Scryer teased. Surprised, Rune looked up and realized her friend was smiling slightly. "Tell me, Runie, what was Chloe made from? Was it a weapon of some kind?"

"It was a scroll, just like usual." Rune raised an eyebrow, not quite sure where the question was leading. A soft chiming sound echoed along the sensitive spell-webs built through the house, a special mage-style doorbell announcing another member of the odd 'family.' Jaymee raised an eyebrow, diverted for a moment by the noise. "Speaking of the terrible trio, where'd they take the kids, anyway?"

"To market - Morgan, Allie and Shiloh gathered the whole clan up this morning. They thought it was probably a better idea then leaving 'em here. Raven was asking if they could visit Keiko and Acrasia, and Shiran wanted to see his sister if they had time." Seeing the surprise on Jaymee's face, Rune smiled wryly. "Shiloh may be an assassin, but she likes the kids okay, Ri. Relax."

"I was just imagining the fit Danogras would throw if he knew about it." Jaymee grinned back, amused. She'd met Shiloh Kingdom, a Summoner assassin based in Sierre Rafel, on an earlier visit and liked the girl quite a bit. They may have had different views on reasons for killing, but on the whole, they got along all right. In fact, considering what they'd just learned about Mirelle, Kirika and Chloe, Shiloh was probably one of the best people to be looking after them right now. But most of the high nobility - like Danogras - hated dealing with her because she was mostly an assassin for hire. The thought of her watching Rune's children would be enough to give him seizures. Jaymee snickered, obviously having the same idea. "Poor Danogras. He thinks the universe is stacked against him."

"Nah. Just all the reasonably intelligent people." A new voice commented from the doorway. Alliane Destiny - Allie, to her friends - leaned against the frame, her pale brown hair tousled and cheeks rosy from the cool outdoors. Her eyes, large and hazel-colored, were cheerful but rather serious as they landed on Scryer. "The kids are on their way, I just came ahead. So there's a problem with Chloe?"

Jaymee held up a hand in answer, soft blue-purple light flickering around her fingers as she activated the house-link. An advantage of their strong powers, it was created with a lay line of magic, allowing users to pass information mind-to-mind; a staple of most noble Illuzen houses, here in Gaia they used it mostly as a glorified calendar and answering machine. Allie raised her eyebrows, looking interested as she caught up. "Kind of a problem, huh? But they solved it already, didn't they?"

Scryer nodded, and Rune stared at her. "Wait, what?!?"

"Scrolls often come in pairs, Runie." Allie said patiently, with just a hint of teasing. "I'll give you a hint. It was decorated with rose vines, just like Chloe's scroll, and it evolved into a little girl two days ago."

Rune and Jaymee both stared at the other two, though Jaymee found her voice first. "You're saying there's another one - another little girl?"

Of course - Rune wanted to slap herself in the forehead from sheer stupidity. Her girls weren't stupid, especially not about important things, and they would never have made such a horrible mistake twice. Three always made for an odd one out, but with a fourth little girl to be part of them, Chloe would never be alone. The whole thing made perfect sense. Then she frowned, staring at Allie. "But wait. How did you know?"

"Do you remember the scroll you gave Takra the last day of hols?" Scryer smiled wryly. "The one you said was in stasis before you found it?"

"Yeah, we were joking the baby it made would want to do everything at hyper-speed to make up for it." Jaymee nodded, eyes wide. "If it was in stasis, that would explain why she didn't grow with the others. She hadn't gotten back into proper time."

"Right." Allie grinned. "She just grew up a few days ago. Takra meant to bring her to you right away, but we got into a little spot of trouble and we had to deal with it first. She's fine, a bit quieter than the average baby. Super smart." She flicked a teasing glance at Rune. "Think you can guess her name?"

The Gaian mage gave her a Look. "I don't - wait." She paused. "Chloe's second word was rose - I thought she meant the plant, since there was one outside the window. And Mirelle and Kirika's fourth words were rose, too."

Scryer smiled, sipping her soda. "Roseline, actually, but it's close enough for baby speak. That I heard loud and clear. How is Takra taking the whole thing?"

"She understands." With a laugh, Allie brushed her bangs from her eyes. "After everything that's been happening lately, she's not sure it would be a great idea to have a baby running around permanently, anyway. Though she does love Rose calling her Tante Takra." She paused. "I can go get her now, if you want. We'll be back before the kids."

Rune hesitated for a second, then nodded. As Allie vanished in a flicker of soft light, the blue-haired mage glanced at her cousin and smiled wryly. "It's a bad thing to wonder what I'm supposed to do with four of them, isn't it?"

"Not bad, just a little late." Jaymee laughed, eyes bright with teasing. "You're already outnumbered with three, remember? Besides, they already decided it for you. And you love kids, especially yours."

"Poor baby." Scryer shook her head. Rune threw another pillow at her, then grinned. "Okay, point. If it'll make Mirei, Kiri and Chloe happy, I'll do just about anything. So why do I feel horribly nervous all the sudden?"

"New kid feeling." Jaymee smiled as another flash appeared in the hallway. "Remember when you met Shiran for the first time? Or Tex? Or when you adopted Aura and Cayanne? You almost had a heart attack when you found Kairnai's sphere. And Raven - gawd, I thought they could hear you in the Third Circle that day."

"Wow, that I believe." Allie stepped back in from the hallway, a small figure balanced gently against her hip. The baby girl's skin was somewhere between Chloe's and Mirelle's in color, her tuft of hair a pale brunette with hints of red. Dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a warm pair of pants, she had a curious air about her, intense and interested. But it was her eyes that were haunting, pretty; they were a pale red, not quite pink, with glittering gold rings around each pupil. Those eyes focused on Rune, and she smiled, the sweet, innocently happy look that all babies had. "Ma - Mum-my." She giggled, little hands reaching eagerly across the room. "Tante, Mummy!"

"Oh, she's gone." Scryer smothered a laugh as Rune's face softened. The Gaian mage ignored her, gently lifting Rose from Allie's arms. "Hello, sweetheart." She held the little girl close, ruffling her hair, and was rewarded with a happy baby gurgle. "Welcome home. Oh, just wait until you get to meet the rest of the family."

As if on cue, a riot of noise suddenly exploded from the front of the house, the usual racket of lots of people all at once. "Mom, we're home!" Dray, the oldest, shouted happily down the hall, her voice rising only slightly above the general babble. "Did you figure anythin' out? We got chocolate!"

"Dray, come in here if you're going to talk." Rune called back automatically, still cradling Rose in one arm. "And don't forget to take off your wing-guards this time." She glanced at Scryer, suddenly anxious. "Do you think it's a good idea for them to meet just like this?"

"Little late." Jaymee said softly, nodding toward the hall. Framed in the doorway, Morgan Shadow and Shiloh both paused, raising eyebrows at the gathering. Shiloh held the twins, one on each hip; Chloe perched in Morgan's arms, her little green outdoor cape still buckled around her neck. In Rune's arms, Rose went still, eyes fixed on her sisters. For a long minute, no one said a word.

Then Kirika's eyes widened, and Chloe shouted "Rosie!" so loud it nearly rattled the windows. All three started kicking and struggling to get down, Mirelle yanking at Shiloh's hair as she didn?t move quite fast enough. Rose, too, fought to escape Rune's grip, face gleeful. "Mi-rei! Kiri! Chloeee!!" She squeaked. "Ne-chan!"

The four of them reached each other at the same time, and for a few minutes it was a jumble of hugging and babbling baby-speak. Chloe finally tugged herself free and beamed around at the adults. "Rosie! Twn Rosie!"

Mirelle nodded so hard her blond hair swung, giggling. "Twn Rosie for Chloe." She agreed happily. Kirika prodded her twin with a small finger, then pointed to herself. "Ki-ne." Slowly, she pointed to each of them in turn. "Ki-ne, Mi-ne, Ro-ne, Chlo-ne. Twns match."

"I hadn't even thought of that." Allie burst out laughing, eyes dancing. "They do match, how cute!"

Scryer grinned back, amused. "And now there's four of them, so no more mistakes or odd kid out." She looked quite satisfied with the whole thing. Rune nodded, dropping to one knee, and held out her hand. A soft ball of glowing magic formed above her palm, then split into two. After a moment, the energy had completely condensed, becoming a pair of small, brown-furred stuffed rabbits. She handed one to Chloe and one to Rose, who scooped them up gleefully and hugged them to their chests. "Kiri and Mire got teddy bears, so it's only fair."

"Somehow I think that's the first of a lot of presents for this fearsome foursome." Shiloh laughed slightly, her eyes gentle as they rested on the baby set. Jaymee nodded, smiling. "And I think this wrapped up just fine."

Well, the twins had quite an adventure today, though not necessarily what I had planned. The four little ones had ended up going with their Aunt Allie to her realm for a while today, while I took some of the older kids out shopping. We figured it wouldn't be too long, and after all, learning alchemy would probably be a good thing for the twins later in life. I don't care whether they have powers or not - I love my children for who they are, not what they can do - but I never want them to feel left out or unimportant, either.

But back to the story. Allie had settled them on the grass near the preps, and a few of her alchemist friends were keeping an eye on them while they played with some alchemy-created toys. Did I mention the show was being put on by the same school that taught Allie some of her magic? biggrin A lot of the students love having her around, and they were happy to take care of the four of them for a little while so Allie could go talk with the commitee like they'd asked.

Unfortunately, Allie got intercepted by Carter, an irritating shmuck of a man who doesn't consider Allie a 'part' of the school. I'm not quite sure what he said to her, other than that it was insulting, and he grabbed her arm. Even worse, he did it in full view of the four toddlers, not that he knew it was a bad thing at the time.

He found out really quick that it was bad when a lovely little duck toy clocked him upside the head. Apparently, the kids' perfect aim is extended now that they're toddlers. They barraged him with toys until they ran out . . . and then Chloe and Rose used Konokai magic to make more. Even better, Kirika noticed there was a crane nearby, and managed to hit the gears to send it flying right into him. Knocked him directly into a vat of transformation potion, ended up turning him into what looked a bit like a meerkat. He had the tail, paws and twitchy nose, anyway. Took them four hours to change him back - once everyone stopped laughing, anyway. I thought Allie was going to cry, she laughed so hard; Morgan fell off the couch.

I asked Mirelle why they did it - not that I didn't know, but I wanted to know what they thought - and she told me, "No body hurt mine. Tante mine." Kirika said the very same thing, adding "Fam-ly most portant. Tante mine here," pointing to her heart, "ware fam-ly is."

Carter wanted them grounded or banned from the School. Allie told him to drop dead. xd

I can't believe it - we just got back from vacation, and the twins grew! It actually happened the day after we came home, when I took the quad set to the Center for some catchup. It was rather late, but Chii and Freya were both there, so the girls were happy to catch up with each other. They were chatting as usual - Rose and Chii have taken to each other so well, it's adorable, and Mirelle really seems to enjoy Freya - when all the sudden they shot up like weeds! Mirelle's bangs stayed cut (thank gawd, I dreaded the idea that she might want to go all the way back to Shakoden to get them trimmed again), and she's all lean and sassy now. Kirika's still rather shy, and smaller, but she's just as adorable as she was when she was a toddler. Amazingly enough, Rose and Chloe grew at the same time. Rosie's eyes are grey-green now, and Chloe's taken to wearing her favorite green cloak as well as a black armbrace. Apparently, Shiloh gave it to her for her knives. *insert eye-roll here*

Everyone in the family was extremely impressed, and we had a small impromptu party to celebrate. My favorite comment was Tex's, "Yeah!! This is great, we can teach you to play cards and chase, all at the same time!" It was wonderful, though Mirelle's been hinting that she wants to go shopping now that she's old enough to pick out her own clothes. Something about fighting wear and leather skirts - someone's growing up early.

"No!!" Kirika jerked upright, sheet clutched tight to her chest as she panted wide-eyed in the darkness. It was the same horrible nightmare she'd had ever since she was very small, the one somehow connected with her aunt Allie. There was heat, and flames, and she could see Mirelle crying above her. Well, not her sister Mirelle; at least, not the Mirelle curled up beside her in bed. But somehow it was Mirelle, and they were both hurt -

Shaking herself, Kirika heard thunder growling furiously outside and shuddered. She hated storms, especially after the nightmare; they reminded her of something else bad, something they couldn't protect themselves from. It made her afraid, and she hated being afraid.

"Kirika?" Beside her, Mirelle sat up, touching her twin's shoulder lightly before hugging the smaller girl. The blonde always knew when Kiri had a nightmare, no matter how quiet she tried to be, and she always woke up to comfort her. And Mirelle hated storms, too. Kirika squeaked as lightning flashed outside, followed by another booming roar of thunder. Rain lashed at the windows, and it was cold enough that goosebumps rose on the dark-haired child's bare arms. "I'm scared, Mirelle."

It was almost impossible to see in the dark, but Kirika could feel her sister trembling. Mirelle was quiet for a few more moments; then she nodded. "I - I'm scared, too." The blonde admitted, so soft it was almost inaudible. "I - I don't like the rain. But who - where do we go?"

"To Mom." Rose's voice came out of the shadows on the next bed; she and Chloe were both awake, eyes gleaming in the darkness. "It's creepy." Chloe agreed, grabbing her cloak as Rose slid out of bed with her Chii bunny clutched firmly in one hand. The smaller redhead's face was even paler than usual, and she picked up Mirelle's teddy bear Corsica before holding tight to Chloe's sleeve. Mirelle nodded, her eyes flashing with gratitude, and tugged Kirika after her. In a small, silent huddle, the four little girls padded out toward the lond, shadowed hallway. The satiny wood was icy beneath their bare feet, and every sound that echoed beneath the storm sounded eery, dangerous. Finally, Kirika stopped, tears welling in her large eyes. "I want Mama." She whispered, sniffling. "I'm scared!"

Rose, too, looked on the verge of tears, and Chloe and Mirelle grabbed hands, eyes locking helplessly. Everything just seemed so scary, so dangerous! It wasn't fair! A shadow loomed out of the darkness, and all four squealed, terrified. "Shhh, guys, it's me." Shazran gently touched Kirika's head as the small girl threw herself at him, crying quietly. Cody stood beside him, the boy's normally cocky pose having vanished with the daylight. A few steps back were Tex and Shiran, the redhead's cowboy hat jammed tight on his head while Shiran's ears were flat. "It's okay, Kiri, it's just us. Don't cry now."

"What're you guys doing here?!" Mirelle demanded, feeling stupid and twice as embarrassed as thunder roared again overhead. Chloe, too, looked almost angry beneath her fear. Another sound from behind the boys signaled more familiar figures. Dray and Nikki, Aura and Cayanne holding hands, Raven and Aeris leading a shaking little Nia, and even Kairnai in her 'regular' child form, clinging tightly to Alter. Nikki's tail swished back and forth as she drew Rose close for a comforting hug. "Probably just what you're doing." The cat girl admitted, without the faintest trace of embarrassment. "This storm - it's not normal. It's creepy and wrong. So we're - we're gonna go sleep with Mom."

"Oh - wha?" Before Mirelle could even think of a smart answer to that idea, she found herself at the doorway to her mother's room, lightning flashing to illuminate the huge four-poster bed with its dozens of pillows. Kirika clinging tightly to her hand, the blond stepped forward slightly, whispering, "Mom? Mom - Mama?"

"Wha - Mirelle?" Across the darkness, Rune's eyes flashed open, her voice hoarse and rough with sleep. Still, she was definitely awake, and definitely concerned as thunder boomed again. "Mirei, honey - Kirika? Chloe, Rose - what's wrong? What happened?"

Mirelle's mouth was dry, and she couldn't speak. What was she thinking? Why would her mother want to be woken like this, for something as stupid as a storm? She'd be lucky if Rune didn't stick her in a birdcage the way Jeane had Conan. But Kirika was shaking, and her voice came out a breathy whisper. "We - we're scared, Mom. And, um - "

She didn't finish, but Rune's face softened, visible even in the inky blackness. Tossing aside the covers, the Water Slider slid from her warm hollow, then touched her headboard for a moment, whispering an incantation; the bed shimmered, flickered, and stretched, growing even bigger. "It's okay." She smiled, voice gentle. "If there's one good thing about a mom's bed, it's that it's always big enough for kids. Come on, it's cold out here."

Mirelle didn't need to be told twice. Tugging Kirika behind her, she hurried across the carpet. Rune's bed was high, but it didn't matter; Dray carefully boosted Kirika, then Mirelle, onto the soft mattress while Nikki did the same for Rose and Chloe. In moments, all the children were huddled tightly together. Rune trotted back into the room - when had she left? Mirelle wondered - her arms full of thick, warm blankets. "Here we go, this should do, I think. Dray, honey, scoot over by the wall there, it should have space for your wings. Alter, you and Kai too, that's my girls. Shaz, are you comfortable? Good. Nia, sweetheart, it's alright. You just cuddle up here between Raven and me, huh?"

The Water Slider climbed carefully back into bed, settling herself roughly in the center. "Alright, now let's get some decent sleep." With a soft smile, she smoothed Mirelle's hair back from her face, wiped gently at Kirika's eyes. "It's okay, you guys. I'm here. Nothing will get you without going through me first, remember?" She kissed each of them on the forehead - no small feat, considering how spread out they were - and carefully pulled the covers up. Kirika took a deep breath and sighed, snuggling back into Mirelle as her sister's arms went around her. On the other side, Rose too cuddled up close, her Chii bunny tucked under one arm while Chloe curled at her back. A soft meow came from somewhere nearby, and with a light thump, the ghostly form of Kirika's dracline kitten, Prince, glided into view and settled itself contentedly between Kiri and Rose. Slowly, the dark-haired child smiled, just a bit. Surrounded by her siblings warmth and protection, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

And this time, there were no nightmares.